Middle infielders who don’t hit well--it’s a Royals tradition. To be fair, pretty much all of Major League Baseball agreed with that view in the 1970s and 1980s, and the Royals, as an institution, learned they could win even with guys who hit .240 without power, as long as those guys scooped up every grounder … Continue reading The Year Of The Card–Jose Lind, 1993
Filling Out My Royals Hall of Fame Ballot
The Royals announced Tuesday that fans can vote for the team’s Hall of Fame. The fan portion of the balloting equals three votes for each of the the top three vote-getters of the seven players eligible. Since the vote includes living members of the Hall of Fame, some Royals front office staff, team associates who … Continue reading Filling Out My Royals Hall of Fame Ballot
Talking Trades: Royals Pilfer Power From Pittsburgh Pirates
By my count on Baseball Reference, the Royals have made 15 trades with the Pittsburgh Pirates since 1969. Most of those were small potatoes deals, but when the teams have done business at the Winter Meetings, the Royals have done quite well for themselves. We just passed the 50th anniversary of one of those trades, … Continue reading Talking Trades: Royals Pilfer Power From Pittsburgh Pirates
Season In Review: The 1980 Royals Win KC’s First Pennant
When I decided to chronicle the daily adventures of the 1980 Royals, of course I was aware of the highlights--George Brett hitting .390, the first American League pennant, and so on. But spending so many nights with the team over the last six months (figuratively speaking, of course) has given me a new appreciation for … Continue reading Season In Review: The 1980 Royals Win KC’s First Pennant
This Date In Royals History–1980 Edition: October 22
Back in Kansas City a day before they wanted to be, the Royals got one nice consolation prize after losing the World Series. A crowd estimated at 100,000 turned out for a parade to honor the team, which ended at Liberty Memorial and also gave us this excellent picture of George Brett riding a horse: … Continue reading This Date In Royals History–1980 Edition: October 22
This Date In Royals History–1980 Edition: October 21
Steve Carlton handcuffed the Royals, allowing just four hits in seven innings while striking out seven, as the Phillies captured a World Series title by defeating the Royals 4-1 on a Tuesday night at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. The Phillies won the Series four games to two. Appropriately, the final game was won by Philadelphia … Continue reading This Date In Royals History–1980 Edition: October 21
This Date In Royals History–1980 Edition: October 20
One last day off for the season as the World Series shifted back to Philadelphia for the final two games. Kansas City’s task for Game Six was daunting: beat Steve Carlton, who would win the Cy Young Award for the National League in 1980. The Royals were buoyed a bit by the fact they collected … Continue reading This Date In Royals History–1980 Edition: October 20
This Date In Royals History–1980 Edition: October 19
It was all set up for the Royals. They took a 3-2 lead to the top of the ninth in Game Five of the World Series. They had the American League saves leader, Dan Quisenberry on the mound. If they could get three outs, they would head back to Philadelphia in command in the Series, … Continue reading This Date In Royals History–1980 Edition: October 19
This Date In Royals History–1980 Edition: October 18
The Royals hit for the cycle in the first inning, using the four runs they scored in that frame to pick up a 5-3 win over Philadelphia and even the World Series at 2-2 on a Saturday afternoon at Royals Stadium. Phillies starter Larry Christenson lasted just 22 pitches in the first inning. Willie Wilson … Continue reading This Date In Royals History–1980 Edition: October 18
This Date In Royals History–1980 Edition: October 17
The first World Series game ever played in Kansas City was a thriller, with Royals first baseman Willie Aikens playing the hero. Aikens drove in the game-winning run with a single in the 10th inning, snapping a tie as the Royals prevailed, 4-3, on a cool Friday night at Royals Stadium. After Philadelphia tied the … Continue reading This Date In Royals History–1980 Edition: October 17
